


The Sun on Your Skin

by adalheidis



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Camping, Canon Compliant, Deep?, Fluff, M/M, but have you ever actually seen a cicada?, deep, hangyul is an angel, seungyoun is sensitive, soft, they're both subtle crackheads and whipped like cream frosting, why is 'cicadas' not a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22051846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adalheidis/pseuds/adalheidis
Summary: "It’s good if you think a lot, but don’t think too deep. If you look at the sea, it’s very blue, open, and pretty, but if you go deeper, it gets darker."During X1's hiatus, everyone is on edge. All except for one. So when Seungyoun can't handle the pressure and leaves the dorm, Hangyul is right behind him.Prompt #201 for Midnight Stories 2019 Ficfest
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Lee Hangyul
Kudos: 44
Collections: Midnight Stories 2019 Fanfic Collection





	The Sun on Your Skin

Slamming of doors, stomping of feet, sounds indicating that someone is throwing a tantrum again. Seungyoun, though he would usually be rushing up the stairs in a millisecond to offer whoever was a hurt a smile of comfort, sighs and sinks further in the couch. Not only has he grown to be unnervingly used to the sound of his members’ bursts of anger, he has grown complacent with not giving a care about them either.

Someone enters the living room where Seungyoun is sitting and Seungyoun really isn’t in the mood for talking now. 

Seungwoo is the face that greets him- and Seungwoo’s  _ seething _ .  _ So Seungwoo has finally lost his temper too _ ?

Sighing, Seungyoun decides that he might as well give Seungwoo the attention the elder desires, “Hyung-”

“Shut your mouth and cut that attitude. Don’t speak if you don’t have anything good to say and don’t comfort someone else if you don’t mean it.”

_ That was uncalled for _ .

Seungyoun is taken aback for sure. Even though he was indeed going to comfort his hyung in a sarcastic manner, he couldn’t help but feel offended at being cut off. Seungwoo hadn’t even heard what he was going to say.

“You didn’t even let me finish my sentence,” Seungyoun emphasizes.

Seungwoo just rubs his forehead and sits on the couch farthest away from Seungyoun.

“I  _ know _ you Seungyoun.”

Right then and there, something inside Seungyoun just snaps, because maybe he wants to be able to vent out his anger like a little kid too. Seungyoun wants to be like a maknae and get away with being bratty too. “Well if you know all of your other members so well and are so picky on how we should be supporting each other, just do everything yourself! Then you complain that we aren’t helping! Damn, you keep contradicting your own words. You’re never going to be happy with us, get that in your head you fake pacifist!”

Silence. Tension. And a thundering roar of heavy steps padding down the stairs that rings in the silence that follows Seungyoun’s outburst.

Seungyoun glares at Seungwoo, clenching his teeth, and Seungwoo returns the gaze with the same, if not greater, intensity. 

But then Seungwoo’s eyes become visibly shaken as the steps grow louder and louder.

To pour salt on open wounds, Seungyoun bites, “That one’s your responsibility too.”

“I wasn’t going to let you take responsibility in the first place you useless waste of space,” Seungwoo grits the second a small figure come flying into the living room. 

“Seungwoo-hyung!” Hangyul bounces over with the most brilliant smile painted on his face.  _ Ah _ , Seungyoun thinks,  _ it is not Hangyul’s fault that his body contains too much excessive power that his footsteps are so loud _ . It may sound like Hangyul is upset all of the time, but the reality couldn’t be more different.

Watching the way the worry on Seungwoo’s face washes away like tears in the rain the moment Hangyul sits on Seungwoo’s lap and begins recounting whatever good luck found him that day, Seungyoun feels more and more irrational.

If only he hadn’t let his ego get to him. If only he was the one in Seungwoo’s position. Seungyoun gets jealous easily and he accepts that. He wants Hangyul to take care of him too.

Hangyul’s positivity is contagious and a smile etches its way onto Seungwoo’s face. Seungyoun stands far enough so that he isn’t infected by the happy virus and even feels his own positivity getting sucked out of him and transferred to another dimension. Seungyoun scoffs and trudges to his shared room with Hangyul. This time he’s the one slamming doors.

When Seungyoun can no longer handle being cooped up in his room and walks back out thirty minutes later, Seungwoo and Hangyul are still cuddled in the same position. Seungwoo’s finger brushes a bit of Hangyul’s waist and Seungyoun’s done. He flings shut the front door of the dorm particularly hard and centimeters away from Seungwoo’s hand that’s reaching out for him.

Seungwoo sighs at the door in his face. Turning around, he pleads Hangyul who is attached to his hip, “Please go look after him. I made a horrible mistake earlier and I don’t think he wants to talk to me.”

Hangyul doesn’t need Seungwoo to explain any further, simply offering a sweet smile and an “of course” to the elder before bumbling off to catch up with the moody Seungyoun.

Seungyoun pushes his car trunk closed before rubbing his hands together and warming himself in the cold post-winter air. Quickly, he scampers around to the driver’s seat to bask himself in the warmth of the heated car interior. Gripping the car handle, Seungyoun pulls the door open.

“Hangyul.”

“Seungyoun!” the troublesome boy occupying the driver’s seat replies enthusiastically.

“Why are you here and why are  _ you _ driving  _ my _ car?”

“Because I’m taking you camping!”

Seungyoun has to stand in the cold for a while processing the comedic play he had unknowingly been cast a role in.

“Hangyul, we are not going camping. I came out for…” Seungyoun looks for the right words, “... inspiration.”

“Inspiration, my ass. Knowing you, you’ll just end up cooping yourself up in the recording studio crying yourself to sleep and not getting any work done. Don’t think I didn’t see the sleeping bag and bowls of ramen you packed into the trunk. I know you were planning on staying over at the studio and that’s just unhealthy. So I thought, you have the material anyways, might as well go camping.”

As always, Hangyul reads him like an open book, but Seungyoun is not ready to give into the younger without refuting, “I wasn’t planning on staying in the recording studio.”

“Liar.”

“Okay, but that’s not the point.”

Hangyul raises an eyebrow in an expression of disbelief.

“Look, I wasn’t planning on staying in the studio for the whole day. I was seriously going to go hiking first to get my creative juices flowing or something.”

“We’re going camping.”

“Hangyul, no.”

“Get in the car.”

Seungyoun tells himself that he only willingly climbed into the passenger’s seat to avoid having his balls frozen off.

* * *

A part of Seungyoun’s anger has yet to dissipate so the car quickly fills with a tense silence. Seungyoun pulls out his airpods and turns his head away from Hangyul. 

Through the window, he watches as the scenery gradually turns from the city he’s familiar with to foreign land. Now all that’s left is green. Green is a color that Seungyoun doesn’t often wear or associate himself with because the only green part of him is his nasty jealousy that comes to bite him at the worst times. Nature is a place where Seungyoun does not belong, all he’s going to do is tarnish it. Some friends of his would surely bet that he’d be unable to survive in the wilderness alone, so why had he even considered going out on his own before Hangyul joined him?

Suddenly, the landscape becomes unbearable and Seungyoun refocuses his gaze on Hangyul.

Hangyul must have been able to feel his scrutiny, even while driving, so Hangyul’s arm twitches slightly. Seungyoun watches as Hangyul opens and closes his mouth several times in an attempt to start a conversation. 

“Hey, Seungyoun.”

Seungyoun ignores him even though there’s no music coming out of his airpods.

“Seungyoun.  _ Hyung _ .”

Still no reply.

“Seungyoun, I know you’re listen-”

“Be quiet for a second, I’m trying to find inspiration.

Hangyul frowns and raises his voice, louder than it already usually is and Seungyoun has to admit that it’s intimidating, “Tell me why you are so adamant on going hiking for inspiration. What was behind this decision? I honestly don’t get it.”

A pause.

“I don’t know, Hangyul,” Seungyoun sighs exasperatedly, “Isn’t nature what people come to first when they need to clear their minds?”

“But that’s the thing, Seungyoun. You came here not knowing what you’re looking for. People these days write songs about love, their fans, and being on stage. More rated artists write songs about clubbing and partying. What are you going to write about after being here? You think you’re going to write a song called ‘one-its are like maples’?”

Seungyoun scoffs and doesn’t reply. That’s usually how he gets when he’s troubled. Just shut out everyone and then everything will be alright. Seungyoun feels like he’s suddenly back in his elementary classroom getting scolded for something he had no knowledge of. Tears of frustration nearly escape Seungyoun’s eyes while he proceeds to ignore Hangyul. He knows he’s being petty, but he just wanted to find a solution to his problems and Hangyul wasn’t helping him at all.

After a rocky ride, the car comes to a halt.

“Seungyoun, you are going to come out.”

Stubbornly, Seungyoun keeps his eyes on the window of his seat and replies curtly to Hangyul, suppressing his tears as much as he could, “I don’t need to.”

Hangyul places a hand on Seungyoun’s shoulder, causing Seungyoun to flinch.

“If you set your heart on a goal. You get to it. No maybes, no excuses, no foreshadowing. You said you were going to go hiking in the first place. I questioned it, but you stuck to the idea. Now, what kind of person would you be to go against your own words?”

Seungyoun was aware that Hangyul was just trying to talk some sense into him, a voice like that of a kind teacher, but Seungyoun doesn’t like the way Hangyul is invalidating him. So Seungyoun does the only thing he knows how to at this point and turns the tables, “I wanted to go hiking alone! I told you, I want to find inspiration for music. Could you stop asking so many questions if you’re not going to accept my answers? This is why you’re the last person I’d want to come with me!”

When Hangyul responds, his voice is trembling and Seungyoun feels like the worst person in the world. How could he dare to hurt Hangyul who has the patience of a saint?

“I’m sorry, I just use logic to support my case. I wasn’t trying to speak poorly of you Seungyoun. Please, forgive me… Seungyoun, please...”

Then Hangyul leaves the car.  _ Good going _ , Seungyoun threatened him away.

Seungyoun runs an exasperated hand over his face. He just didn’t want to admit that Hangyul was right, he really was a hypocrite. Just a while back in the dorm he wanted Hangyul to take care of him and now that he has all of Hangyul’s attention, he’s taking advantage of it as if it grew on trees.

Seungyoun lifts his head to consider exiting the car and chasing after Hangyul to apologize, but jumps back in shock. 

Hangyul’s face is plastered against his window, giving him the most fatal puppy dog eyes he has ever seen in his life. If only Seungyoun had looked Hangyul in the eye earlier, he knew he would have given in to Hangyul at the snap of a finger.

Hangyul breathes onto the window and uses the vaporization to draw a few words. “Sorry,” it spells backwards because Hangyul probably didn’t realize that Seungyoun would be seeing the reverse of what Hangyul drew for himself. The corner of Seungyoun’s mouth almost twitches to a smile. He rolls down the window.

“Hey, Hangyul.”

“Will you forgive me?” Hangyul gets straight to the point.

“Hangyul, you did nothing wrong.”

Seungyoun opens his door and Hangyul’s smile is beautiful when he pulls Seungyoun out.

“We’re going camping!” Hangyul claps his hands, lightly tidies up Seungyoun’s clothes, dusts off his pants, and immediately goes into his tangent, “Come on, let’s set down the rules. We’re here to experience the wildlife, and the best way to do that is to respect it. Respect the habitats the little critters have built up for themselves. So, rule number one is no signals, cellphones, radio, or television that could possibly interfere with their world.”

Seungyoun just weakly allows Hangyul to tug his phone out of his hand. Hangyul helps Seungyoun put on a backpack of camping supplies before patting twice at Seungyoun’s butt.

“You’re all set! Go, go!”

Seungyoun obeys as told.

* * *

Together, Seungyoun and Hangyul had hiked up a remarkable distance before Seungyoun gets tired and asks to take a rest. He finds what looks to be a relatively smooth boulder and declares it his seat. Groaning, Seungyoun begins to massage at his sore legs, arms, back- he’s sore everywhere.

“Well, I thought that your stamina would be a little better than this,” remarks Hangyul from a distance.

Seungyoun throws Hangyul a glare. 

“Well maybe you’d understand if you were carrying the same amount of supplies as I was. You have it easy! How about you take this back the second half up?” Seungyoun exclaims while shoving his backpack in Hangyul’s direction. Because gravity becomes twice as strong when sitting down, Seungyoun isn’t able to move his backpack any far before he’s clutching his arm in pain.

Hangyul giggles, “No, thank you! This is your hiking trip, not mine.”

This time, Seungyoun throws a literal pebble at Hangyul, causing the younger to shriek.

“Then leave, you nuisance!”

The pebble that Seungyoun had thrown lands in a pile of dirt and leaves on the floor, sending a good amount of dirt particles into the air and into Hangyul’s face. He must have disturbed a few insects that inhabited the dirt and leaf pile as well sending them into a flying frenzy.

Hangyul lets out a wail of distress when the bugs begin to swarm around him. He flinches so hard Seungyoun actually briefly believes that he was on the verge of experiencing a seizure. When some bugs fly too close to Hangyul’s face, he ducks and raises his arms to swat blindly. One arm makes a revolution and the other swipes horizontally, all the while Hangyul’s jazz fingers are flicking back and forth.

Hangyul’s way of evading danger is so ridiculously choreographed that Seungyoun can’t help but burst out laughing, “Go, dancing machine!”

Hangyul makes a run towards Seungyoun and hides behind the elder’s back and shuts his eyes tightly.

“What?” Seungyoun mocks, “You think that closing your eyes will make them go away?”

Hangyul delivers a smooth smack to Seungyoun’s shoulder that hurts the most making him have to bite his lip to not scream out loud. Despite his childlike demeanor, Hangyul was stronger than he looked, hell Hangyul was probably stronger than the majority of adults, and his hits are not easy to take.

“Hey, stop hitting people like that. It hurts.”

“You caused those bugs to go flying and I hate it when things fly.”

The two stare at each other before simultaneously opening their mouths, “ **I’m sorry.** ”

They laugh and know that they’re forgiven.

Hangyul finds a comfortable spot next to Seungyoun on the ground. He’s never been the type to be afraid of getting down and dirty. In life, maybe Hangyul’s really only afraid of one thing.

“You really don’t like insects, don’t you?”

Hangyul picks up another pebble from the ground and begins tossing it from hand to hand before replying meekly, “... Maybe. I think flying insects are annoying.”

Seungyoun props his chin on a hand, watching amused as Hangyul takes his pebble to write on the boulder Seungyoun is currently sitting on. “Yeah, and basically all insects fly. Therefore, you are afraid of insects. Ants can have wings. Butterflies have wings too, that’s why they’re called butter _ flies _ . They fly. Hmm… are you scared of butterflies?”

Hangyul busies himself with carving the words ‘X1’s Seungyoun was here’ on the boulder in order to avoid having to reply to the elder. Eventually, he caves in though and says quietly, “I’m scared of butterflies too.”

_ Aww _ ,  _ that’s just adorable _ . Seungyoun can’t resist pinching Hangyul’s cheek, but the younger huffed in annoyance due to having his concentration broken.

“You’ve got to be joking me Hangyul-ah. How are you going to survive X1’s concept for the next five years if you’re scared of butterflies that  _ fly higher _ ?”

“I’m not. I’m going to die before our promotion ends,” Hangyul pouts. “You know, I would’ve brought you butterfly observing if I knew I weren’t so afraid of them.”

Seungyoun decides that he has nothing to lose and sacrifices his luxury pants, moving to sit on the ground besides Hangyul. There’s shock written all over the younger’s face, and he really must have been so shocked that he didn’t react when Seungyoun erased half of his boulder art. Usually, Hangyul would have thrown a fit. 

“That’s fine,” Seungyoun says nonchalantly, “We can just spend our time like this and I’ll be happy.”

Seungyoun replaces Hangyul’s ‘X1’s Seungyoun was here’ with ‘X1’s Seungyoun + Hangyul were here’ and a cute heart drawing at the end. Satisfied with his work, Seungyoun meets Hangyul’s eyes and is surprised to see adoration and fondness pooling in them.

Seungyoun chuckles awkwardly, “Okay, I’m done. Now you tell me what you want us to do.”

“Just keep sitting like this and feel the sun on your skin.”

Seungyoun raises an eyebrow, “Hangyul, it’s the middle of winter and we’re in the mountains. There is no sun.”

“Hey, I didn’t question you when you drew a heart beside our names on that rock, why are you questioning my plans? I’m the expert here.”

Seungyoun blushes at Hangyul’s words. His blush deepens when Hangyul hooks an arm over his shoulders to point at a tree.

“Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean that there’s no sun. Look behind the leaves of that tree. Light will seep in and form patterns on the forest ground. Then you just examine the patterns made by the light, or feel the light, and tell me how you feel.”

“I...” Seungyoun pauses and focuses on the patterns. He tries to feel a type of emotional response but he really can’t. “I don’t know.”

Hangyul frowns and places his hands on his hips, “Well that was anticlimactic. I probably should’ve known from the beginning that you wouldn’t be able to appreciate sunlight anyways. You’re skin says it all.”

Seungyoun furrows his brows, “What? What is that supposed to mean?”

“Look how pale you are! Do you even know what sunlight is?”

Seungyoun takes a good look at Hangyul’s golden brown skin the second a gust of wind blows past the trees, ruffling the leaves so that the patterns of light streak right across Hangyul’s face. The image is breathtaking.

“Hello? Seungyoun? Hyung?” Hangyul waves a hand in front of Seungyoun’s face when he realizes that his hyung is no longer responding to his questions.

“... Beautiful,” Seungyoun whispers.

The smile that Hangyul gives him hearing that is one that he never wants to stop receiving.

“So you see! Now close your eyes… and feel,” Hangyul urges gently.

When Seungyoun closes his eyes, the only image filling his sight is Hangyul, Hangyul, Hangyul. Hangyul’s smile that’s brighter than the sun, Hangyul’s skin that’s richer than rich honey, Hangyul’s everything that’s priceless because it’s impossible to afford such a high being.

Seungyoun opens his eyes, “You’re beautiful.”

Not even Hangyul’s dark skin can hide the red flush that covers his face as he drags Seungyoun to continue hiking. Seungyoun thinks that he could get used to that flush as well.

* * *

It seems as if the entire day has already passed due to the amount of topics Seungyoun and Hangyul had conversed about during their hike, but the sky is still clear and the day is still long. Hangyul pulls Seungyoun towards a grass clearing amidst a circle of trees. 

“What’s this?” Seungyoun asks.

“This is the campsite!” Hangyul exclaims and Seungyoun’s eyebrows shoot up in shock.

“Already?”

It turns out that Hangyul really is able to fill up his every boring moment with cute anecdotes.

“Yeah, and I know you’ve been complaining about me not bringing anything-”

“Hey, I didn’t mean it.”

“Shh, let me finish.”

Hangyull brings a plaid blanket out of his favorite backpack alongside an entire Korean lunch with rice and at least ten side dishes. Plates of pickled vegetables such as cucumber, carrots, and Seungyoun’s favorite kimchi are presented in front of his eyes wrapped diligently in saran wrap.

“I can’t believe you, Hangyul-ah. I’d pay to have you feed me like this every day.”

Hangyul laughs shyly behind his hand, “Money doesn’t make time, though.”

When Seungyoun frowns, Hangyul quickly says, “I’ll try my best to cook for you whenever I can. Just don’t let the other members find out. Now, eat up.”

Eat up is what Seungyoun does because it’s not every day that Lee Hangyul cooks specifically for him and for no one else.

As Hangyul diligently cleans up and puts his plates away, Seungyoun walks over and taps Hangyul’s broad back, “Yes, hyung?”

“Tag. You’re it,” Seungyoun replies with a mischievous smile on his face.

Hangyul’s face looks apalled but his fast reflexes allow him to flop over on his belly and grab at Seungyoun’s ankle, “Tag. You’re it!”

Hangyul sprints off into the woods and Seungyoun follows after him yelling, “Hey! That area’s off limits!”

Seungyoun is fast enough to catch up with Hangyul and barely grasp at Hangyul’s shirt, but the lithe boy escapes Seungyoun’s grasp.

“Hey, I’m serious. I don’t want you to get lost.”

Hangyul just looks at Seungyoun with a glint in his eye. In a wink Hangyul’s swinging up the branches of a tree closest to their clearing.

Seungyoun stares at Hangyul from below, “There’s no way I’m going up there to fetch you. This game of tag was the worst idea ever.”

Hangyul’s laugh echoes through the forest, “You’re coming up anyways. Game of tag or not.”

Then Hangyul offers a sturdy hand to help lift Seungyoun up. Seungyoun trusts Hangyul, knows that the younger is strong enough to pull him up and not drop him, but Seungyoun’s worried about when Hangyul lets go of his hand. What if the branch breaks?

Seungyoun lets himself get lifted up by Hangyul, their hands intertwined tightly together in a sure grip. And when Seungyoun finds himself in a spot beside Hangyul, the younger doesn’t let go of his hand. 

“Hey, hyung. You know what I’ve noticed?”

“Hmm?” Seungyoun answers while laying his head on Hangyul’s shoulders.

“I feel like you’re a person that really likes to engage themselves in tasks to release stress. You write music to release stress and that sounds like it makes sense because music is your passion right? But if you have to go out to find the extra inspiration for it, your music is going to be equally unpleasant and stressful to make. I don’t really like to have to focus on doing anything when I’m stressed, but in nature it’s different. If you focus in nature, you’re simultaneously clearing your mind. It sounds paradoxical but it’s true.”

Seungyoun lifts his head off Hangyul to examine the younger’s sincere expression. Seungyoun didn’t like it when people tried to define who he was and trap him in a box, but Hangyul knows him in a way that always looks out for his best interests. Seungyoun feels like he’s not looking out for Hangyul’s best interests enough. The boy doesn’t hide who he is in front of anyone, always genuine and honest about his feelings but other people don’t seem to care.

“So you’ve had to focus on nature to release your stress before?”

Hangyul returns Seungyoun’s gaze with eyes full of sadness and Seungyoun wants to suck all of it out with a vacuum, “More times than I wish I had to.”

Then Hangyul shrugs and replaces the sadness in his eyes with hope, “But what’s so bad about it? I get to appreciate nature and come back happy.”

Hangyul nudges Seungyoun’s leg with their intertwined hands, “Look at the clouds. They remind me of the amount of love One-its have for us.”

Seungyoun smiles because sure enough, the clouds that had all merged together that day represent One-its’ never ending love for their idols. It’s amazing how dedicated their fans are to them.

“I think that the clouds remind me of you,” Seungyoun says instead.

“Are you calling me fat?” Hangyul whines.

Seungyoun chuckles, “Yes and no.”

Hangyul’s facial expression shows his confusion.

“Yes because you’re a big fluffy pillow, perfect for hugging,” Seungyoun affirms his statement by finally disconnecting their hands to wrap his arms around Hangyul’s waist and place his chin on Hangyul’s shoulder. “No because, your body isn’t the only thing big about you. Your big eyes never lie. Your big hands try to carry the entire world. Your big heart tries so hard to look after me who doesn’t deserve you. But I’m too selfish to tell you not to look after me because you are my entire world.”

Hangyul is visibly touched by his words and Seungyoun thinks it’s absolutely endearing. Hangyul stares of into the horizon to avoid letting Seungyoun see how he nearly tears up, “Hyung. The sun is setting.”

“Yeah?”

“We should set up our tent while we can still see.”

“Yeah.”

“And when we are finished, we can cozy up inside the tent… then you can continue telling me what you like about me,” Hangyul finishes shyly.

“If I told you everything I liked about you, I’d never stop talking.”

Hangyul blushes and chews at his lips before jumping off the tree. He waits for Seungyoun to jump off after him, stabilizing the elder in case he falls over. Ultimately too bashful, Hangyul runs off back to the campsite.

* * *

After a while, the two are sitting on the floor with papers sprawled open all over the floor. Hangyul’s blush has slightly faded and he’s comfortable enough to be around Seungyoun now. 

“So…” Seungyoun starts, “neither one of us knows how to assemble a tent.”

“No. I never stayed out overnight because that’s when all of these ewies come out,” Hangyul says, flicking away a bug that got too close to him and then immediately screaming when it flies up.

Seungyoun laughs at Hangyul’s actions, “Wait, then how are you going to make it through tonight? Won’t you be scared to death?”

Hangyul frowns, genuinely contemplating whether or not he’d be able to survive, “I’m always motivated by my want to experience the campfire feeling. You know, when we sit together and eat warm food while singing acoustic songs. But I don’t know… I have you. You’ll protect me, right?”

From then on, Seungyoun vowed never to let a single creepy crawler graze the surface of Hangyul’s skin.

“Of course, Hangyul-ah. Now, let’s get this tent up. Though… it’s going to be difficult with just the two of us, isn't it.”

Hangyul giggles, “Think of it this way. Two parents are going camping out with their four year old son. No way is that son going to be intelligent enough to set the tent up, right? Which means that the parents inevitably have to do so themselves. And they do so successfully. Now, we’re those parents.”

Seungyoun stands up while opening the tent’s carrying bag. “Who’s our child?” he asks nonchalantly.

“Dohyon!” Hangyul replies as he takes the tent out and spreads it flat on the ground. He searches around for the tent poles and calls Seungyoun over noticing that they’re in Seungyoun’s hands.

Seungyoun promptly drops the heavy metal poles onto one of Hangyul’s shoes causing the boy to yell out in pain, “Hey! What was that for?”

“I don’t want that brat as a child.”

“So you drop a bunch of heavy poles on my feet? It was just a hypothetical!”

Seungyoun chuckles, “No, the poles slipped out of my fingers by accident, I just wanted to let you know that your hypothetical sucked.”

Hangyul pouts and rubs his toes, muttering something under his breath that Seungyoun’s sure he’d rather never find out. A new glint shone in Hangyul’s eyes as he pulls out a pole, extends it, and then pulls it back like a competitor of a pole vault event. The pole flicks its way forward and cracks Seungyoun’s skull when it collides with his face. His entire body freezes and falls stiff onto the ground while Hangyul stands with a triumphant smile, before continuing on to build the tent alone.

“Hmm, guess it’s better for me to be a single parent,” Hangyul hums.

Oh well, at least Seungyoun gets to watch Hangyul work from a point of view below him. Wait, what?

Seungyoun scrambles up and walks in the opposite direction.

“Hyung! You can’t actually be letting me set this up myself! I was just joking and I’m sorry that I flicked your forehead!”

Seungyoun waves a hand behind him in acknowledgement but not reply and waits for Hangyul to run up to his side and pucker up to him.

“Hyung,” a whine draws out. Ah, there we go.

“Aww, sweetie. I was just heading to the bathroom. No need to get so clingy,” Seungyoun teases.

Hangyul, on the other hand, looks scandalized, “You. Are going to pee. In there? Eww!”

“Of all people, Hangyul. I thought that you’d be the one accepting of using nature to our abilities. I’m fertilizing these plants with my safe and nutritious pee.”

Hangyul fakes a vomiting face but holds on to Seungyoun’s shirt before he can walk away, “But can you not pee on the tree that we just sat on?”

Seungyoun pinches Hangyul’s finger, “I’ll be sure to pee there so that I’m marking up my territory.”

“No, no, no!” Hangyul whines.

“Okay, alright. Just let me go already if you don’t want me peeing all over you and you’re tent.”

“Eww, gross! Just go!” Hangyul buries his face in his hands and turns away from Seungyoun. 

When Seungyoun walks back to the campsite, Hangyul has already completed assembling the tent. He really is that useless. But he doesn’t have to be useless when Hangyul’s swatting at invisible bugs left and right and performing his cute little ‘get away from me’ dance.

Removing his coat, Seungyoun swings the piece of clothing in front of Hangyul’s face so that it sweeps away all invisible bugs and also slaps a bit at Hangyul’s chubby cheeks just for fun.

“There you go, nothing’s bothering you now, right?”

Hangyul just grumbles underneath his breath and stomps away.

“Hey, why are you like this?” Seungyoun catches up with Hangyul who is rummaging through his backpack for other supplies, “I thought that this was what I was supposed to do in our mutualistic relationship. You work, and I’ll be your bug swatter.”

A lighter in one hand and fire starters in the other, Hangyul turns around and stares at Seungyoun menacingly, “This is parasitism. Stop leeching off of me and move.”

“Oh-uh, haha-” Seungyoun awkwardly scratches his neck while Hangyul purposely pushes past his shoulder and stomps again to a clear ground. Of course Hangyul isn’t actually angry. He’s just being playful.

So Seungyoun trails after Hangyul like a puppy and sits next to the other boy who’s currently trying to start a fire. Naturally, Hangyul likes to talk to fill up the air and he begins explaining the process, “I want to have a fire tonight so that we can see and then host our mini campfire party.”

Hangyul sets up a cute fire bed and places wood that he must have collected while Seungyoun was doing his business. Seungyoun thinks that it’s endearing that he can tell who made a campfire just by the way it looks. It’s just so  _ Hangyul _ .

“I’m also hoping that the campfire will be able to attract insects because, you know, moths are attracted to flames. And then they’ll leave us alone so I can sleep comfortably at night.”

Hangyul starts a kindling fire rather quickly and continues onto the process of blowing extra oxygen into the flame so that it roars, “In chemistry class, we learned that more oxygen available, the more combustions can occur.”

Puffing out his cheeks like a squirrel and then blowing into the fire, a gust of ash and sparks come barreling at Hangyul’s face in reverse. The boy yelps and blinks his eyes intermittently to remove the debris. Seungyoun pats Hangyul’s back because he doesn’t like it when Hangyul is in pain. Seungyoun also laughs because Hangyul is really cute.

Hangyul shoves Seungyoun away, but Seungyoun comes bounding right back to him like a boomerang. Eventually, Hangyul just accepts the annoying shadow by his side.

Feeling like he has yet to contribute to their conversation as much as he had before- to be honest, his participation had been pretty low all day long because of his poor mood- Seungyoun speaks up hesitantly, “We had science classes about fire too, yet every time we’re told to explain the meaning behind our title track ‘Flash’ I feel like I’m just winging my way through.”

Hangyul nods in understanding, giving approval noises to urge Seungyoun to continue talking while he feeds the fire.

“All I really remember is this time we were taught to use a magnifying glass and the sun to make a fire. We did so and started burning ants on the ground.”

Hangyul lifts his head in alarm and just stares at Seungyoun in concern.

“What? Are you okay, Gyul?”

“Just. Don’t. Don’t talk. You’re so weird Seungyoun, who burns ants for fun?”

Hangyul shakes his head and continues tending his fire. At least Seungyoun tried.

* * *

Seungyoun enters the tent and sees Hangyul on the grubby ground.

“I don’t suppose you packed a sleeping, did you?”

Hangyul flips around at the speed of light, eyes still wide open and awake, “I didn’t bring anything, but I set it all up for you. I’m the nicest, right?”

“Yeah, the nicest,” Seungyoun unzips his sleeping bag in a silent invitation and Hangyul comes rolling over.

Together, they lay in one sleeping bag, Hangyul’s entire body basically on top of Seungyoun’s. They cuddle away their last worries still on their minds.

“Are you satisfied with your first campfire experience?” Seungyoun asks softly, staring down at the boy in his arms.

“I loved it. I’m so happy,” Hangyul replies with an equally soft voice.

“Then I’m happy too.”

Seungyoun tightens his grip on Hangyul’s body as he gradually doses off. He doesn’t want to wake up finding out that the entire day was just a dream and that all of the X1 members were still stuck in the dorms throwing daggers at each other. Hangyul squeezes back as a confirmation that he’s really there, that he understands Seungyoun’s worry. 

Finally, Seungyoun is assured enough to go to sleep. His eyes fall shut with the image of Hangyul on his eyelids.

_ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp chirp _ .

“Do you hear that?”

_ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp chirp _ .

“Yeah.”

_ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp chirp _ .

When Seungyoun opens his eyes again, Hangyul’s face greets him. Seungyoun smiles.

_ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp chirp _ .

“Do you know what that sound is?”

_ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp _ .  _ Chirp chirp _ .

“No. Enlighten me.”

“That’s the sound of cicadas.”

“I thought you hated cicadas.”

“I mean, I do, but to me and all the countryside kids, this was our favorite sound to listen to as we grew up. The music of the cicadas is an indication that spring is coming.”

Seungyoun smiles, and reaches into his pants pocket in search of his phone to record it down, forgetting for the moment that Hangyul had confiscated his phone at the beginning of the day. Seungyoun’s not upset though, patting his pants nonchalantly and whistling to pretend he hadn’t done anything. Hangyul doesn’t notice either, pursing his lips together to imitate the sound of the bugs.

“Spring is the season of new beginnings. When spring comes… we’ll be free to start again. When spring comes, you won’t need to come out here to search for inspiration anymore because you’ll be so busy with schedules that you don’t have time to spare.”

Seungyoun thinks about what Hangyul says for a moment, and it makes sense, “But what if I don’t want spring to come?”

Hangyul looks Seungyoun in the eyes, expression full of confusion but understanding, “Why is that? Isn’t what you came here for to pass the free time you have because of our hiatus.”

“Yes… but if we’re busy, I’m never going to have a moment like this again.”

A cheeky smile blooms across Hangyul’s face, “Ah, so you like to spend time with me? I’ll hold your hand as we walk through the spring, so don’t you worry. I won’t leave your side.”

That night, Seungyoun falls asleep to Hangyul’s cute habits and he dreams of Hangyul calling out his name in happiness, sadness, anger, and concern.

“... Seungyoun.”

“... Hyung.”

“... Seungyoun.”

“... Seungyoun-hyung.”

“... Seungyoun-ah.”

“What, you punk?” Seungyoun wakes up irritated by Hangyul’s, most likely unnecessary concern.

“I’m uncomfortable.”

“Oh you’re such a whiny brat,” Seungyoun drags his hands down his face in exasperations, “Are you not already more comfortable sleeping in my arms than on the uneven ground?”

“I know, I know, but still. Sorry, I won’t bother you again.”

* * *

For the nth time, Seungyoun wakes up to a sound. The sound of a cicada chirping too close for what seemed to be normal was the culprit. For some reason, in his groggy half asleep state, Seungyoun tells Hangyul, “You’d be fine if I told you there was a cicada crawling in our tent right?”

However, Hangyul wakes up in an instant, jolting upright, “What? Seungyoun, what?”

Seungyoun rubs his face wearily with his palm, “What?”

Hangyul slaps Seungyoun’s face and shakes him awake, “Seungyoun, you just told me that there was a cicada inside the tent. Don’t make fun of me. You promised not to.”

Now with a fully clear mind due to Hangyul’s forceful slap, Seungyoun looks at a far corner of the tent. There, one, two, three, four, or so cicadas were crawling about having seemingly managed to enter their tent through an invisible opening.

“Hangyul, close your eyes. Don’t look behind you.”

Immediately, Hangyul begins trembling in Seungyoun’s arms, “You were the one who told me that closing my eyes wouldn’t make the bugs go away.”

“Well forget what I said, this morning’s Seungyoun was not being smart.”

Seungyoun tries to shoo away one of the giant roach-like but uglier bugs that had become increasingly close to Hangyul, but ends up just sending it flying. Seungyoun curses the damn bug as Hangyul begins wailing at the fluttering wings sound.

“No!” Hangyul sobs , “How many are there?”

Seungyoun wouldn’t have replied even if he knew the number, but every time he tried to count, the amount of cicadas inside the tent seemed to multiply.

“Hangyul, I think we’re going to need to go back to the car and call it a night.” Seungyoun looks at the clothes he’s sporting, “This is going to be a pain if I get wet.”

It’s when Seungyoun first unzips the tent, with Hangyul still tucked under his arm, that he realizes that it was raining outside. The rain had put out their fire meant to attract insects and prevent the bugs from bothering their tent.

“What are we going to do?” Hangyul asks and it’s the first time that day that Seungyoun saw Hangyul not have a plan ready.

“What do you mean what are we going to do? We run.”

Hangyul tugs on Seungyoun’s arm and Seungyoun can’t see Hangyul’s face clearly in the darkness, but he can see tears glistening in his eyes. So Hangyul isn't just some whiny baby. He was genuinely terrified of bugs and Seungyoun just exploited in his fear.

“You said you don’t want to get your clothes wet.”

Seungyoun puts both of his palms on Hangyul’s cheeks, “I said it’d be a pain, but I’d do anything for you. Now, come.”

Once again, they’re holding hands tightly and dashing through the clearing.

Within two steps, Hangyul gets ambushed by a swarm of mystery flies and he lets out a devastating cry. Seungyoun doesn’t think twice before grabbing Hangyul and shoving the boy into his coat. Seungyoun lets Hangyul cry into his chest as they find refuge under a tree, probably the one they had climbed earlier. 

“Listen to me,” Seungyoun says quietly, but clearly through the loud pitter-pattering background of rain, “You don’t open your eyes. Keep your face close to my chest and I’ll tell you which direction to move. Put your trust in me.”

Hangyul nods against Seungyoun’s T-shirt and then they make their long trudge through the rain. 

For Hangyul, all he can see is black. Black surrounding his up, down, right, left. He has no idea where he’s going but Seungyoun’s sweet voice keeps him grounded. 

“Gyul, turn left.”

“That’s right, just keep going forward.”

“Gyul, there’s a log ahead. I need you to step over it.”

“Make a right here.”

“Gyul, we’re going downhill now. We hiked up and to get back to the car, we need to hike down, okay? Don’t worry. I’m right here.”

At some point the voices stop. Seungyoun stops giving him directions, opting to carry Hangyul’s entire body when he sees one of Hangyul’s feet slipping on the slippery ground.Seungyoun couldn’t risk Hangyul getting injured in the rain so he takes it upon himself to transport the boy to safety.

And Hangyul doesn’t mind getting carried around blindly. Hangyul trusts Seungyoun. With Seungyoun, Hangyul feels safe.

He allows his head to sway left and right and hit at Seungyoun’s warm and firm chest whenever Seungyoun took a particularly rocky step. It’s no more than the experience of having one’s head hitting a helmet on an extreme roller coaster ride. Just in darkness, like the space tunnels.

A bright light shines on them and they both wince. Seungyoun because underneath the white light, Hangyul’s red rimmed eyes and tear streaked cheeks become visible. He almost wished that the light didn’t come at all. But when he looks to see who was behind the flashlight pointed at them, he feels like he’s just met superman.

There Seungwoo stands with a flashlight and an umbrella big enough that it could probably fit all eleven members of X1 underneath. 

“I saw the weather report and I got worried about you guys. Now stop shivering like wet cats and come here.”

Hangyul turns around at Seungwoo’s voice and the shout of relief would have hurt Seungyoun a bit if Hangyul hadn’t been holding onto Seungyoun’s torso for dear life.

Then the three of them together stroll back to the parking lot, Seungyoun and Seungwoo collectively working to sweep away insects for Hangyul.

* * *

Seungwoo has to hook Seungyoun’s car onto his own and shove the two campers into his car, not trusting either of them to be in the right mind to drive or even be alone.

“Come on, in you go.”

Seungyoun shuffles into the backseat next to Hangyul, but Seungwoo stops him before he can do so, “You’re sitting in the passenger seat. Up in the front with me, lover boy.”

Seungyoun raises his brow in question but doesn’t refuse; he’s too  _ cold _ to.

“I need to take care of Hangyul,” Seungyoun says ironically while slipping into the passenger seat and buckling up.

“Well then you’d be surprised to find out that he’s not the one who needs to be taken care of the most,” Seungwoo pauses, “You know, none of us back at the dorm thought that you’d be able to make it long in nature. We’re all surprised.”

Seungyoun scoffs and looks down at his hands. Just like his friends who had no trust in his survival instincts. His hands are, at the moment, far more interesting than the conversation he was having with Seungwoo.

“But even so, your survival instincts still aren’t refined. You should probably take your jacket off. It’s soaking wet and you’ll get sick.”

Seungyoun peels the sticky second skin off his body and immediately shivers at the cold air that hits him doubled with the wet droplets on his body rapidly cooling. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches Seungwoo turning the heater on and breathes a sigh of relief, but doesn’t get too caught up in his head.

“What do you care? You aren’t going to do anything if I get sick, right? You have too many other responsibilities to take care of.”

Seungwoo smiles sadly. He knew Seungyoun was still going to act tempered around him. Besides, it was Hangyul who spent the entire day trying his best to make Seungyoun cheer up and not himself. He did none of the hard work.

Seungwoo casts a glance back at the boy curled up in the back seat having fallen asleep immediately the soothing rocking of Seungwoo’s car’s wheels on top of a pebbly road hit him. 

Seungyoun barks, “Keep your eyes on the road!” but also turns to ensure that Hangyul is resting peacefully. No more ‘ewies’ at creepy crawlers and no more tears.

Out of fondness, Seungwoo pats Seungyoun’s shoulder, continuing his drive with one hand. Seungyoun contemplates shrugging the hand off, but leaves it there because his entire body is _ numb _ and he feels like soon he won’t be able to lift his arm up.

“I already know that someone else will take care of you when you’re sick. I’m so thankful for that one person because I know that without you in X1, I wouldn’t be able to survive.”

Seungyoun turns his head to look at the eldest and it almost feels like everything he’s hearing is just gibberish from his imagination and not actually being spoken. His head hurts like crazy and if he doesn’t lay it against something smooth in the next crucial seconds, he may as well get concussion. Standing up will hurt, turning his head will hurt, lifting his head will hurt. It must be a result of not drinking enough water throughout the day because he didn’t want to be contaminated by the freshwater Hangyul picked up from rivers and streams.

“I know that you’re a good leader just trying to get through the days,” Seungyoun speaks honestly while his lips turn blue. “I’m sorry, I know that I shouldn’t have taken any of my frustration out on you especially.”

Calm by the relief of finally letting his true feelings out, Seungyoun slumps and lets his eyes shut.

* * *

Seungyoun wakes up with a sore mouth and throat, finding difficulty in swallowing his own saliva that had accumulated over night. He usually does not question the biofilm over his teeth that leaves his facial features lax and ugly in the morning, but this feeling is too familiar for him. It is the red flag that foreshadows what is going to be the most agonizing week of his life, plagued by a burning throat, followed by a runny nose faster than Olympic racers, and constant headaches.

Seungyoun attempts to sit up from his bed, call for someone to help, but his body is too heavy and nothing comes out from his vocal chords. He’s drowning and cannot get himself out of the quicksand. With the last vestige of his energy, partially spurred by the panic he gets from his blankets spontaneously doubling in volume and weighing down against his body, Seungyoun kicks the covers off and rolls over. Looking up to the ceiling fan lights, black blotches fill his sight and the surfaces of his room starts to crack. Seungyoun shields his eyes as the ceiling begins to ripple and descend on him.

Then Seungyoun wakes up, again. His head is pounding and his vision is foggy as he raises up. Seungyoun cuddles back into the warmth of his bed, but not in a way to suffocate himself. He lays himself down in a position that leaves part of his skin still perfectly in contact with the cool air and his sensitive feet and legs tucked upwards to stay warm, praying that he’ll be able to wake up a third time, perfectly fine and healthy. Seungyoun’s eyelids are falling shut when the sound of slamming doors and stomping feet evade his ears. Again?

“What is this!” A shriek breaks Seungyoun’s train of thought and he just laughs as a livid Hangyul stomps his way towards Seungyoun’s bed.

A swift slap is delivered to Seungyoun’s face. Before another hit can be landed, Seungyoun catches Hangyul’s wrist, “You have to stop carelessly hitting people like this, Hangyul-ah. You’re getting stronger every day, at some point, someone’s going to get hurt. Besides, I feel so sick.”

The anger in Hangyul’s eyes falter for a second, changing to guilt. There is an apology sitting on the tip of Hangyul’s tongue but he can’t help himself when he blurts out, “But seriously, after all the effort I put into helping you find inspiration, you write a  _ diss track _ about me?”

It’s strange. That’s when Seungyoun remembers that he had miraculously made a recovery the night before when they arrived home and headed straight to record a song. But now he’s here again, bed-ridden and unable to stand up on his own.

Hangyul plops himself next to Seungyoun, propping up a pillow and leaning against it in preparation for his long tangent. Seungyoun just looks up with his nonexistent eyebrows raised.

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

“You. You! Writing in English lyrics that I don’t understand to mock my stupidity. Fine! I guess I never travelled abroad to pursue an athletic career but that’s really pushing it! And don’t tell me that the song is not written about me because I see my name written clearly on a cassette.” Hangyul continually jabs his finger close to Seungyoun’s pecs, but never actually makes contact with the body in fear of hurting it.

Seungyoun chuckles, mood and health suddenly a hundred times better, “Of course the song is about you. You were the only person I went out with yesterday.”

“You went for inspiration from nature! Not from me!”

“But look how entertaining you are being right now, Hangyullie. Of course I’d write a song about you to relieve my stress.”

Hangyul bites his lip and Seungyoun can see all of Hangyul’s heat rushing up to his face either in embarrassment or and indication that he was going to blow up like a teapot.

Seungyoun continues, “And what if I told you it was a love song?”

The steam escapes Hangyul’s ears and he puts his palms up to his face in surprise, “A what?”

“You told me to tell you all the things I liked about you in our tent but I never got to because of your undying fear of bugs.”

Hangyul blushes furiously and yells, “See! There you go again! Making fun of the things I’m scared of-”

Hangyul keeps talking to himself as he leaves their room headed god knows where. Seungyoun can hear the ruckus outside when Hangyul yells out, ‘Be quiet, Seungwoo! You know nothing! You came late to picking us up and saving us from the pouring rain!’

When Hangyul comes back to his room, he’s carrying a tray of warm soup, medicine, some home made tea, and a flush of red skin. Seungyoun’s surprised the other even came back at all in this circumstance.

“Hey, babe. You love me back yet?”

Hangyul promptly ignores the question and places the tray on the bedside table.

“Here’s your breakfast in bed,” Hangyul mumbles.

“Will you feed me? I don’t think I’m capable of doing so myself,” Seungyoun wants to see how far he can push his authority.

Hangyul sighs and parts Seungyoun’s hair out of his face, clipping the strands with cute hair clips that he owns. Wordlessly, Hangyul turns towards the tray that he set down and begins spooning up some of the soup he brewed. With a careful hand cupped under the spoon in case any liquid spills out, Hangyul move the spoon over and mimes for Seungyoun to open his mouth.

Hangyul’s soup is delicious and it’s twice as delicious when it’s being served by the cook. Seungyoun could definitely get used to this.

After Seungyoun is full and no longer throbbing in pain, Hangyul slides Seungyoun’s head onto his lap to pet lazily at the elder’s hair. In Hangyul’s arms and care, Seungyoun feels safe.

“I’m sorry you got sick because you were trying to protect me,” Hangyul starts barely above a whisper, “But from now on I’ll protect you better… because I love you too. And I could also spend forever talking about the things I like about you. And I want to get as close as possible to saying all those things. So don’t go around getting sick and dying on me, okay?”

Seungyoun shouldn’t have had to go out to search for inspiration or to relieve his stress in nature because if he doesn’t know how to appreciate nature properly, nothing would come out of his trip. If only he had realized that his nature was right in front of him because his and Hangyul’s dynamic is natural.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like this ended up a lot more sentimental than where I was originally headed (pure crack), but the fun in writing a prompt is getting to see how your writing eventually develops into its final form. I hope whoever prompted this has as much fun reading as I had writing.
> 
> To anyone who might be going through a hard time, just take a deep breath and feel the sun on your skin.  
> Or! Talk to me!  
> My twitter: [adalheidishere](https://twitter.com/adalheidishere)
> 
> (Edit: I really don't know how I'm supposed to feel right now, but I know for sure that the advice I gave above still stands. We're all going through a very hard time right now and I was initially so angry, sad, devastated that everything I planned to write might never see the light because I'm too hurt to think about the X1 members without crying, but maybe, just maybe, I'm willing to keep them alive. One-its, let's keep fighting. I believe in us.)


End file.
